Winch



May 27, 1941. J. M. BENSON 2,243,739

WINCH Filed March 25, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l 2] v wc'r dot Jesse MBensOfi 32x3 QM I May 27, 1941- J. M. BENSON WINCH Filed March 25, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwuwwto'n J e5aeMBens0n May 27, 1941- J. M. BENSON WINCH Filed March 25, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet- 5 Patented May 27, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WINCH Jesse M. Benson, Concord, Tenn. Application March 25, 1940, Serial No. 325,905

4 Claims.

This invention relates to winches designed for loading or unloading purposes and is an improvement over the winch structure embodied in 'my prior Patent No. 2,083,489.

An object of this invention is to provide a winch which is so constructed that the winding drum may be operated at a selected one of at least two speeds and wherein the operating mechanism for rotating the drum is positioned at one end of the device.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved winch of this character embodying the use of a single locking mechanism for looking the driving element on the device in a selected position to obtain the desired speed of rotation of the winding drum.

A further object of this invention is to provide a winch of this character wherein the winding drum is rotatably mounted on a stationary shaft which is supported between a pair of housing or end members and wherein the braking means for holding the drum against rotation engages in an annular gear carried by the stationary shaft. A still further object of this invention is to provide a simplified winch structure which can be made in exceedingly compact form and which is preferably manually operable.

A further object of this invention is'to provide,

a winch of this kind which can be manufactured and produced at a relatively small cost and which, while designed for relatively heavy work, is constructed out of relatively light material so that it can be readily transported from one place to another.

To the foregoing objects and to others which may hereinafter appear, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be more specifically referred to and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein are shown embodiments of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a detail end elevation partly in vertical section of a winch constructed according to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line I2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line on the line 9-9 of axially of the stationary shaft 5-5 of Figure 2, the bearing and shaft being removed.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the locking means for the driving element in released position.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 88 of Figure 3.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken Figure 1.

Figure 10 is a plan view of the locking means removed from the housing.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 15 designates a base member at one end of the winch structure which has secured thereto an upwardly therewith a standard or-supporting member 18 and a bearing i9 is carried by the upper end of the standard 18.

The housing l6 comprises an outer end wall 20 formed with an annular flange 2| which is provided with a plurality of ears 22. An inner end wall 23 having an annular flange 24 and ears 25 is adapted to be secured to the outer housing part comprising the outer wall 20 and the flange ,2I by fastening devices 26 in the form of bolts. The flange 24 carried by the inner wall 23 is adapted to confront and abut the flange 2| and forms therewith a gear chamber 21. The outer wall 20 a bushing 33 removablyengages. The bushing 33 is provided with an annular flange 34, and a bolt'35 engages through the bushing 33 and is threaded into an opening 36 which is formed A pair of elongated rods 37 extend through web portions 38 which are formed in the housing it and also extend through the standard l8. A tubular spacing member 39 engages about the bolt or rod 3'! between the web 38 and the standard l8, and nuts 40 are threaded onto the opposite ends of the rods 31, and through the use of the spacing members 39, the standard I Band the housing 16 are held in the desired spaced apart relation.

be anchored to the drum 4 welding or the like.

A winding drum generally designated as M is rotatably mounted on the stationary shaft 29 and comprises end plates 52 and 43 which are secured to a cylindrical hub M. A cable holding loop 45 is secured to the hub Ml and also the end wall 43 so that one end of the cable may I. A cylindrical bearing 45 is secured between the end walls 42 and i3 and rotatably engages the stationary shaft 29.

In order to provide a means whereby the drum M may be selectively rotated at different speeds, I have provided a gear means including a driven gear generally designated as 41 which is mount.- ed in the chamber Z'i. The gear member 4] includes a plate of disc form 8 which is formed on the periphery thereof with gear teeth 49 which extend laterally of one side of the plate it. The gear teeth 49 are carried by a'cylindrical member 50, the inner surface of which is smooth and forms a brake drum. The disc 48 is provided-on one side thereof with a hub 5| formed with gear teeth 52 and in the operation of the drum ll either the gear teeth 49 or the gear teeth 52 may be engaged by a driving element for rotating the drum ll .at diiferent speeds.

The hub 5! also extends laterally of the opposite side of the disc 48 and loosely engages in an opening 53 which is formed in the inner wall 23. A gear member 55 is formed on the inner end of the hub 53 and meshes with an intermediate gear 55 rotatablycarriedby a stub shaft 56. The stub shaft 56 is fixed at one end to the inner end wall 23 and the gear '55 is rotatably carried by the shaft 56. The gear '55 meshes with the gear 5d and also meshes with a ring gear 5.! having an annular flange .58 at one end thereof which is fixed to the endwall 43 f the drum 4! by fastening devices 59 in the form of rivets,

A supporting arm 60 engages on the inner side .of the gear 55 and is provided with a flange B! which engages about the gear 54. The flange BI is integral with and offset rearwardly relative to the end wall .23.

A bushing 62 engages about the stationary shaft 29 and within an opening .63 formed .in the supporting arm 60 and the bushing 62 is also formed with an annular flange fi l engaging between the outer face of the supporting .arm to and the adjacent or outer face of the end wall 23 of the drum M.

The annular flange 2! is formed with .a cutout ,or slot 65 within which a pawl "68 loosely engages. The pawl .66 is rockably carried by a bolt or threaded shaft 61 which is mounted ;in.a

pair of ears 68 and 69 carried by the flanges 2i and 2d, and the pawl 65 is adapted to engage the gear 47 so as to hold the gear 4:1 against rotation in one direction. the housing It is provided with a cylindrical boss or hearing ill having an inner end wall 1|. A driving element comprising a gear 12 which is carried by a stub shaft 13 is adapted to removably engage in the hearing if! and the gear 12 is adapted to engage the gear 41 when the drum M is to be rotated at low speed.

A second cylindrical bearing M is carried by the end wall 29 and'this bearing 14 is disposed in a position whereby'the shaft 13 and the gear 12 may be extended into the bearing 14 so that the gear l2 may engage the gear teeth 52 carried by 'the hub when it is desired to rotate the drum M at a higher speed. The stub shaft 173 is provided at its outer end with an enlarged head l5 having an opening 16 formed there.- through, and a handle 11 engages in the .opening it and is adjustably secured in the head The end wall .211 of "shown in Figure 1.

by a set screw or locking member 13. The head 15 is substantially larger in diameter than the stub shaft 13 and forms a shoulder 19 which engages against the outer end of the bearing or boss ill or the outer end of the bearing or boss it. When the driving member including the driving gear 12 and the stub shaft 13 are mounted in the bearing it, the inner end of the gear :12 is adapted to engage against the inner end wall H carried by the bearing ll].

In order to provide a means whereby the driving element may be releasably locked in a cesses 6! and 82. The shaft 83 rockably engages in bosses 33 and 84! which are carried by the bearings 1B and l i, respectively, and the recess 8| is provided so that the stub shaft 13 may be extended into the bearing Ill when the shaft is turned so that the recess BI is lowermost. The recess 82 is provided so that the stub shaft 13 may be extended into the bearing 14 when the recess 82 is lowermost and preferably the two recesses 8| and 82 are on one side of the shaft 8i) so that both of these recesses will be disposed in a lowermost position at the same time in order to permit the stub shaft 13 to be disposed ina-selected bearing,

Ahandle B5 is carried by one end of the shaft 80 and is adapted to gravitatingly hold the shaft so i a locked position with the recesses 8i and 82 uppermost. The shaft 80 is held against endWi-se movement by means-of a pin or locking member 88 which in the present instance is adapted to engage the inner end of the boss 83. The stub shaft '73 is provided with a pcripheral groove 81 in which the locking shaft 80 is adapted to engage so that when the shaft '80 is in a locking position with the handle in a dependent position, the shaft 80 will engage in the groove 3! and lock the stub shaft 13 against endwise movement while permitting free rotation thereof.

A bracing web 83 extends between the two bearing or bosses l0 and Hi, and an outwardly projecting pin 39 is carried by a boss '90 formed with the web 88. A braking attachmentsimilar to that embodied in my copendi ng application filed March 25, 1940, Serial No. 325,906, is

adapted to engage the pin 89.

A'brake shoe 9i is disposed in the gear chamber 21 and an arcuate supporting arm -92 is carried by the shoe 9! and engages a supporting pin 93 carried by the outer wall 2B of the housing 16. The brake shoe 9i lining 9 which is adapted to engage the drum 50 so as to hold the drum 5% against rotation. The brake shoe 9! is constantly urged to a released position by means of a contracting spring 95 which at one end engages in an opening -99 formed in the shoe '9! and the opposite end of the spring 95 engages a pin iil' which'is carried by the outer wall 26. The shoe ti is formed with an elongated slot $38 in which a shoe operating pin 99 loosely engages. The pin 2,9 is eccentrically carried by a brake V ifill which is journalled in 'a'bushin-g-iill carried by the end wall 28. g g

A brake operating lever iii? is fined to the shaft I03 by means of a pin or fastening device I83. When the brake position, the lever or brake operator H32 is yieldably held against the bushing or bearing 'i ljflas The brake shoe EH has formed integral therewith a laterally projectis provided witha brake operating shaft shoe 93 is in alreleased inglug I04 to which a wear element N35 is attached, and the wear element I05 is adapted to have one face thereof projecting slightly into one side of the slot 98 for engagement with the eccentric pin 99.

- In the use and operation of this winch structure assuming that the driving element comprising the stub shaft 73 and the driving gear 12 is inserted in the bearing 70 and locked therein by,the locking member 80, in order to insert the stub shaft 13 and the driving gear '12 in the bearing 76, the handle 85 of the lock shaft Bil is raised to a substantially upright position so that the recess or cut-out 8| will be disposed innermost of the bearing 10. The gear 12 will engage the outer or large gear 41 and the lock shaft 80 is then rotated by means of the handle 85 so that the shaft'flilis in the position shown in Figure 6. The crank H may then be rotated so as to rotate thegears l2 and 41. Rotation of the gear 4'! Will;rotate the gear 54 and the gear 55 which will also rotate the ring gear 57 and the winding drum 4|. At, this time, the pawl 66 is riding over the teeth of the gear 41. In the event it is desired to lock the drum 4i against rotation, the crank Tl may be held against rotation so that the pawl 66 will engage between selected teeth of the gear 41. The pawl 66 gravitatingly engages the teeth of the gear 41. In the event it is desired to release the drum 4! from the pawl 66, the pawl 66 may be rocked outwardly of the cut-out 65 by means of a handle I96. The handle I06 is so secured to the pawl 66 that when the handle or operator IDS is rocked downwardly, the pawl 68 will be raised and held in its raised position. At this time the brake lever I02 may be rocked to the righ as viewed in Figure 1 so as to swing the brake shoe 9! against the brake drum 50.

The pull on the cable which is wound about the drum 4! will effect reversed rotation of the drum 4| and the speed of this reversed rotation may be regulated by pressure applied to the brake drum 5|] by means of the brake shoe 9|. In the event it is desired to rotate the drum 4! at a higher speed, the operating element comprising the shaft 73 and the gear 12 may be inserted in the bearing or bushing 74. In this position the gear 12 will engage the gear teeth 52 and as the gear 52 is of a smaller diameter than the gear 41, engagement of the gear 12 with the gear 52 will effect a more rapid rotation of the drum 4|. The winch hereinbefore described forms an exceedingly compact structure wherein the operating gears are housed in a relative narrow housing structure and the gears are so arranged that the winding drum 4! will not be subjected to undue torsional strain during either the winding or unwinding of the winch structure is constructed for the purpose of providing a compact portable winch which may be manually operated and which is safe in operation so that the crank l1 will not be pulled out of the hands of the operator when the drum 4! is under load. This Winch has been placed in actual operation and has been found more efficient that winches at present available for the purpose for which the winch has been designed.

I claim:

1. In a winch, a winding drum, a stationary shaft having a portion thereof rotatably supporting said drum, an upstanding stationary gear housing fixed to one end of said shaft and having outer and inner end walls, a relatively large low speed driving gear in said housing, a hub carried by said gear rotatable on another portion of said shaft and having one end extended laterally from said gear through the inner end wall of the housing, a high speed driving gear within the housing carried by the other end of said hub, a second gear carried by the said projecting end of said hub, an intermediate gear meshing with the gear on the projecting end of said hub and arranged exteriorly of said inner end wall, means on the inner end wall of the housing for rotatably supporting said intermediate gear, below said second gear, an internally threaded gear fixed to the inner end of said drum and meshing with said intermediate gear, a pair of bushings connected to the outer end wall of and opening into said housing, an operating member engageable in a selected bushing for engagement with a selected driving gear for rotating said drum at a selected speed, spacing means about said shaft between the inner end of the drum and said intermediate gear supporting means, and means for supporting the other end of said shaft and for maintaining the drum on the latter.

2. In a winch, a winding drum, a stationary shaft having a portion thereof rotatably supporting said drum, an upstanding stationary gear housing fixed to one end of said shaft and having outer and inner end walls, a relatively large low speed driving gear in said housing, a hub carried by said gear rotatable on another portion of said shaft and having one end extended laterally from said gear through the inner end wall of the housing, a high speed driving gear within the housing carried by the other end of said hub, a second gear carried by the saidprojecting end of said hub, an intermediate gear meshing with the gear on the projecting end of said hub and arranged eXterio-rly of said inner end wall, means on the inner end wall of the housing for rotatably supporting said intermediate gear, below said second gear, an internally threaded gear fixed to the inner end with said intermediate gear, a pair of bushings connected to the outer end wall of and opening into said housing, an operating member engageable in a selected bushing for engagement with a selected driving gear for rotating said drum at a selected speed, spacing means about said shaft between the inner end of the drum and said intermediate gear supporting means, means for supporting the other end of said shaft and for maintaining the drum on the latter, and a rockable locking member mounted in said bushings for selectively locking said operating member in a bushing.

3. In a winch, a winding drum, a stationary shaft having a portion thereof rotatably supporting said drum, an upstanding stationary gear housing fixed to one end of said shaft and having outer and inner end walls, a relatively large low speed driving gear in said housing, a hub carried by said gear rotatable on another portion of said shaft and having one end extended laterally from said gear through the inner end wall means on the inner end wall of the housing for rotatably supporting said intermediate gear, below said second gear, an internally threaded gear fixed to the inner end of said drum and meshing with said intermediate gear, a pair of bushings conof said drum and meshing 4- neeted to the outerzend wall of and opening into said housing, an operating member engageable in a selected bushing for engagement with a se-.- lected driving gear for rotating said drum at a selected speed, spacing means about said shaft between the inner end of the drum and said intermediate gear supporting 'means, means for supporting the other end of said shaft and for maintaining the drum on the latter, a pair of hollow aligned bosses carried by said bushings, and a rockable locking member mounted in said bosses for releasab-l-y locking said operating member ina selected bushing.

4. In a winch, a winding drum, a stationary shaft having a portion thereof rotatably supporting said drum, an upstanding stationary gear housing fixed to one end of said shaft and having outer and inner end walls, a relatively large low speed driving gear in said housing, a hub carried by said gear rotatable on another portion of said shaft and having one end extended laterallyirom said gear through the inner end wall of the housing, a high speed driving gear within th housing carried by the other end of said hub, a second gear carried by the said projecting end of said hub, an intermediate gear meshing with the gear on the projecting end of said hub and arranged exteriorly of said inner end wall, means on the inner end wall of the housing for rotatably supporting said intermediate gear, below said second gear, an internally threaded gear fixed to the inner end of said drum and meshing with said intermediate gear, a pair of bushings connected to the outer end wall of and opening into said housing, an operating member engageable in a selected bushing for engagement with a selected driving gear for rotating said drum at a selected speed, spacing means about said shaft between the inner end of the drum and said intermediate gear supporting means, means for supporting the other end of said shaft and for maintaining the drum on the latter, a pair of hollow aligned bosses carried by said bushings, and a rockable locking member mounted in said bosses for releasably locking said operating member in a selected bushing, said locking member including an angularly disposed operator for gravitatingly maintaining said looking member in looking position relative to said operating member.

JESSE M. BENSON. 

